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HKUST 2012-13 Annual Report
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University’s graduates competing alongside the
world’s best. I and other Council members found
it an energizing experience to work with the
senior administration to facilitate this endeavor.
Congratulations are also in order as HKUST’s
on-going pursuit of excellence brought
further recognition of the University’s leading
international standing. In the QS Asian University
Rankings 2013, HKUST was once again ranked
first for the third year in a row. In addition, the
University was placed top in the global QS Top
50 Under 50, a survey highlighting universities
established in the past five decades.
As indicated by these results, HKUST’s drive to
succeed remains strong. It makes me proud to be
associated with an institution that always seeks
the peaks. That others in Hong Kong and beyond
feel the same way has been amply shown over
the year through our expanding network of
academic, business and industry partners, the
broad and generous response of donors and
supporters, as well as heartening public interest
in our activities and achievements.
To sustain and build on such interest, the
University welcomed delegations from top
universities and institutions from a diverse
range of locations, and made visits overseas,
bringing greater internationalization through
exchanges, collaborations and non-local
recruitment. Meanwhile, invitations to prestigious
national and international forums with leading
political, business and higher education leaders
emphasized HKUST’s growing profile as a valued
contributor on a range of major global issues.
I believe that one of the elements sustaining
HKUST’s success, and ability to cope well with
fundamental change, is that the University
knows where it is headed as an institution.
Such guidance is provided by HKUST’s five-
year Strategic Plan (2011-2016), drawn up after
extensive consultations with key stakeholders and
the active participation of the Council and Court.
Under the plan, the University has a clear set of
strategies and objectives. When an organization
grows in scale and complexity, such direction has
a contribution to make.
As the Annual Report shows, over the year HKUST
moved steadily ahead in all six key areas of
developmental focus identified in the Strategic
Plan: education, research, faculty development,
community engagement, international and
Mainland strategy, and organization and resources.
In working toward improvement in these core
areas, we can keep in step across different
Schools, departments and offices. This enables the
University to move forward as a whole.
Among other significant measures for
institutional development, good governance
and transparency have an essential part to play.
With the encouragement of the Council, HKUST
has therefore been adding to its capabilities with
the adoption of key performance indicators,
an annual performance review, and an annual
operating plan.
Looking back over the year, I would like to thank
new and continuing members of the Court
and Council, who have willingly shared their
knowledge to enable both governance bodies
to fulfill their respective roles in guiding the
University. The President and his team have
provided inspiration and great support to the
HKUST community, and I pay tribute to their hard
work and leadership. With the foundations laid
and the advances made over the past 12 months,
HKUST is ready to move on with confidence and
high spirits to keep the University’s miraculous
story unfolding in ways that enthuse the world.
Chairman, University Council
Dr the Hon Marvin K T Cheung,
GBS, JP